Germany names 'refugees' word of year

A migrant from Syria walks along rail tracks with his son.

PHOTO: Reuters

BERLIN - Linguistic experts on Friday named "refugees" the most important word in Germany in 2015, as it has dominated debate in a year when the country is expected to record a million requests for asylum.

A panel of experts from the Society for German Language picked the word ("Fluechtlinge") from 2,500 expressions deemed as having "significantly influenced public discourse this year and which has also accompanied political, social and economic life in a particular way."

Second place went to "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie), a slogan used worldwide as a sign of solidarity with France following the deadly attack in January that decimated the editorial team of Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

In third place was "Grexit", a word coined over the possibility that Greece would be forced to leave the eurozone because of its debt woes.